Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has reiterated his apology to the Indian community over his use of an inappropriate term, saying he had chosen the wrong words and never intended to offend anyone.

Anwar made the remarks at a PMX Meet-and-Greet session with members of the Indian community in Seremban on Wednesday night.

“Sometimes, when I have no intention to offend, I use the wrong word. I accept my mistake and have apologised,” he said, referring to an earlier remark he made at a forum at Universiti Malaya.

Anwar said apologising does not make a leader weak, but reflects sincerity in acknowledging mistakes and making amends.

“I do it sincerely for the sake of bringing change to this country,” he said.

The prime minister also stressed that Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians regardless of race, rejecting narratives that tell Malaysians of Chinese descent to return to China or those of Indian descent to return to India.

“I do not care about such narratives. Malaysia belongs to all Malaysians and we must work for everyone,” he said.

Anwar, who is Muslim and Malay, said he was never taught to insult followers of other faiths or deny the rights of other communities.

“I was never taught to insult followers of the Hindu faith. My parents never taught me to take away the rights of the Indian community or oppress the Chinese community,” he said.

Also present at the event were Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil, Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri R. Ramanan and representatives of Indian community organisations.

Ramanan praised Anwar for publicly acknowledging his mistake, describing the apology as a sign of humility and leadership.

He also urged the Indian community to assess the government’s performance based on its track record rather than political promises.

Ramanan highlighted the increase in the allocation for the Malaysian Indian Community Transformation Unit (MITRA) from RM100 million to RM150 million, the construction of six new Tamil schools and the resolution of more than 10,000 citizenship applications.

“Do not make decisions based on promises alone. Look at what has been delivered and judge the government’s track record before making your choice,” he said.